Not long after Pokémon Red and Blue (the first Pokémon video games outside of Japan) were released, the anime was created. It was first broadcast in Japan in early 1997, and in the United States in late 1998. The anime started what has been called "Pokémania", which meant that after the anime came out, it became very popular among children, and many parents assumed it was a fad and no one would care about it in a couple years. However, it was never cancelled, and it is still running, and continues to maintain a fanbase consisting of people of all ages.

The anime shows the adventures of Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old Pokémon trainer who has many adventures, meeting many new people and Pokémon. His most famous Pokémon, and probably the most famous Pokémon, is Pikachu.[source?]

A number of Pokémonfilms have also been made that relate to the anime. The first one was Pokémon: The First Movie (released on 1998 in Japan and on 1999 in North America). They are still being made.